Courtney Dauwalter didn't start at the Transgrancanaria this year, but that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty to talk about during the legendary Spanish ultra as another US runner set a fiery new record and a husband and wife duo stacked the podium.
A thousand runners took off on the 126k course from the beach in Las Palmas in the northeastern part of Gran Canaria at 11:59 p.m. on Friday. From the very start, American Caleb Olson held onto his place at the front of the pack and managed to maintain what race organizers describe as "an impossible pace" from the 80k mark until he crossed the finish line in Maspalomas in a stunning 12 hours, 17 minutes and 25 seconds. That's more than 25 minutes faster than the 2019 record set by Pau Capell, who came back for another stab at victory this year, but DNFd.
Just seven minutes after Olson, the UK's Jonathan Albon crossed the finish line in 12:25:06, followed by Josh Wade in 12:40:17 which means that all three men on the podium beat Capell's record. That in itself might be a record.
Olson might not yet be a household name in the world of ultra, but he's steadily been stacking up a reputation as a runner to watch. That was solidified last year when he dished up the fastest-ever debut with a fifth-place finish at the Western States. All eyes will be on him at the California race this June.
Over in the women's race, Spain's Claudia Tremps was angling for a win after taking second place in 2024 and third in 2023, but victory was snatched from her by Henriette Albon (yes, that's Jonathan's wife). The Norwegian stormed into the lead in the second half of the race to finish her first-ever 100k+ race in 15 hours, two minutes and 50 seconds, nearly an hour ahead of Tremps. Slovenia's Martina Klančnik Potrč rounded out the women's podium.
The Transgrancanaria classic has been held since 2003, taking runners on a southbound traverse of the Canarian island with more than 22,300 feet of elevation gain and crossing the iconic volcanic landscape of the Roque Nublo.
